


Perseids

by Moonwanderer



Series: ThorBruce Week 2018 [5]
Category: The Avengers (Marvel Movies)
Genre: Angst and Hurt/Comfort, Bittersweet, Friendship/Love, Light Angst, M/M, Reminiscing, Stars, ThorBruce Week 2018, ThunderScience - Freeform, thorbruce
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-08-25
Updated: 2018-08-25
Packaged: 2019-07-02 04:38:56
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 956
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15789126
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Moonwanderer/pseuds/Moonwanderer
Summary: I wish for the stars to be like eyes and not like diamonds.





	Perseids

**Author's Note:**

> A little something for the "ThorBruce Week 2018" event.  
> Day 5: "Stars"  
> I've always loved to see the shooting stars in August, hence the idea.
> 
> I am not a native speaker, so mistakes may be found.  
> I do not own the characters, etc., etc.,...

It was a bone-chilling night in January, the air sharp and ice-cold, and the deep silence of snowy days covered the valley. And still, Bruce was lying on the flat surface of the roof, wrapped in nothing but a thin coat, and shivering like a leaf in the storm. There were cold tears in his eyes from the frost, and hot tears from memories of warmth and love.

The snow was falling in large, graceful flakes for an hour now, a thin layer of whiteness coated his unmoving form. Inside the furnace was alight with mellow, golden flames, but he felt cold, oh, so cold all day long, he seeked the chill of ice on his skin, wishing the burning feeling to soothe the empty coldness inside.

Ever since he could remember, he always loved the stars, just like his mother loved them. When he was small and innocent, and the seasons changed into spring and summer, his mother brought him to the countryside to gaze the stars together. She named them, and told him tales from long ago, about gods, godesses, and mighty fights, and legends older than times. The stars were like eyes, warm and loving, promising hope and faith. But since then the stars became diamonds, beautiful yet distant, leaving the warmth behind once he let go of them.

And tonight he remembered, and he was cold, so pitifully cold, so lonely. The memories held warmth and safety, the laughter of his mother and her flowery scent, but he was unable to grasp any of them with his trembling fingers and soul. So he went out and lay down to weep, under millions of shimmering diamonds.

Slowly, almost gracefully, his eyes became too heavy to keep them open, so he let them close, tears still sliding down his face, thin, trembling paths of warmth. He was not in peace but too tired to move, except from the violent shivers of course. The snow started to cover not only his clothes but also his skin, no longer warm enough to melt the fluffy, shapeless little flakes, and the diamond-eyed stars stared in silence...

"Oh heavens, Bruce! What are you doing out here?"

Somehow he managed to open his eyes again, and he saw Thor, falling to his knees and cradling his shaking form into a tight embrace. The god’s beautiful features held so much worry, and Bruce tried to explain he got nothing to worry about, really, but he just couldn’t form even a sentence. So he just shook his head weakly, and let himself be lifted up, carried away in arms so strong and gentle, in an embrace so safe...

By the time he found enough strength inside to begin to speak, they were in the living room, in front of the fireplace, and Thor was busy to peel his snow-covered clothes off and wrap themselves up in big, soft blankets.

"Too bad" He started, and his shivers were stronger now, rocking his tired body, and Thor held him closer, his frozen form against hot skin. "Too bad it’s not August now... We could see the Perseids..."

Thor said nothing just made sure his large body was covering every inch of his smaller form, and his big, warm hand was rubbing his back. Bruce couldn’t help but let out a sigh and snuggled closer, nuzzling his cold face into the god’s neck.

"The Perseids were always my favourites, you know? So bright and so many of them! Coming year by year at the same time, and always so many, always so bright..."

"Perseids..." Thor murmured, showing no signs of discomfort, and it was strange, because somewhere back in his mind Bruce knew that holding an ice-cold body against naked skin is not so fun at all.

"They are named after the Greek hero Perseus. Do you know his tale? He was the demigod who slayed one of the Gorgos, Medusa, whose gaze turned people into stone. It always was my favourite legend."

They lay in silence, with Thor sharing his warmth with him, and wiping off his tears with lips warm and tender, fingers steady and strong. Bruce felt lighter than before, but his eyes were still shut tight, stars like diamonds shimmering in his mind.

"There was this young daughter of a king, named Andromeda." He whispered, voice trembling, tears threatening to fall again. "She was so _young_ but they left her there alone to die. The gods...demanded sacrifice... But then Perseus came and saved her. He saved her, Thor! He didn’t even _know_ her... But he saved her from her Fate...Why? He didn’t even know who she was, what she could do...Why?" Finally, he opened his eyes, and his gaze met with eyes icy blue yet warm with love.

"Because, my love," Thor said, his voice soft and gentle "the king was blind. Heavens, even the gods were blind! But Perseus, he saw her Fate. And he knew that it’s not her Fate to be lonely and be sacrificed. Perseus saw Andromeda, tied to a rock on the shore, sentenced to die, so noble, so strong. And he knew that Fate had other ways for her, other paths to be chosen by no one else, but her alone." He brushed back those graying curls and let their foreheads touch. "And she did chose her own Fate after!"

And for the first time after many years, Bruce felt the warmth returning, filling up him again with hope and surety and love.

"The next time we should gaze the stars together" He said, before he let dreams take over his tired mind, and thought that maybe when he will look up again, they will be like eyes, just like before.

**Author's Note:**

> Please, feel free to leave a comment!  
> Negative comments or comments of displeasure are also welcome, you can help me improve by pointing out my mistakes.
> 
> Ps: The Day 6 prompt will take me mooore time to write because I have an idea for an AU, which will be longer than the former works in this event.


End file.
